Red and White
by Lilith Rei
Summary: In the ten years since the fourth war, Naruto managed to avoid her. Now that they've been sent on a mission together, he can't avoid her now. AU
1. Chapter 1

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

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><p>"Naruto!" Shikamaru called out, "We're going to grab a drink. You want to come along?"<p>

"Nah," he grinned, "I've got somewhere I gotta be."

Shikamaru waved and disappeared down the street with the others. It had been a pretty successful mission, even though they all felt low-key now. Naruto didn't mind that at all. He liked getting up, starting a mission, and then finishing it at the end of the day without people dying.

That last part was most important.

Being a Jounin was a lot more busy work than he expected. There was still a lot of harsh feelings, and the Konoha council refused to assign him a team, no matter how much Tsunade pleaded with them. He was still the Nine-Tailed Fox, and to top it all off, he had vouched for Sasuke. It was a little humiliating that they still rebuked him in front of everyone, but Naruto would rather die than admit it. Despite everything, he was still the son of the Yondaime, and that still didn't seem to count in his favor.

Stopping at Ichiraku, he ordered two take-outs, and headed off down the street. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his orange jumpsuit and orange-red sage cloak. Jounins were supposed to be sneaky and subdued, and well...that just wasn't him.

The Uchiha complex was a dilapitated structure at the north end of Konoha. At once, it had been strong and bustling with activity, but now it was a ghost town. The gate had been boarded up until the last month or so. Now it was fixed and painted, thanks to Sasuke.

"Hey!" Naruto walked towards the house. There was someone standing on the roof, "You're going to fall off."

"Idiot." Sasuke stood up, wearing nothing but shorts and shoes. He had been working in the sun all day, and the sweat and dirt was clear evidence. His hair was shaggy, tied away from his face with a sash. The cursed seal was clearly visible on his neck, but he control over it now. He could activate and shut it down on command.

"I brought food. Get down off there before you sunburn your brain."

Sasuke made a face, and brushed off his pants. Then, like the nin he really was, grabbed the edge of the roof, and flipped gracefully to the porch.

The deal had been a hard one to make. Naruto had soul responsibility for Sasuke now. Anything that happened, Naruto would take the punishment personally. It had been a difficult compermise, but he knew that Sasuke didn't deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison. Sasuke was free, Naruto had responsibility, and Sasuke was stripped of his nin rank permanently. That didn't take away his abilities, or the fact that he was still one of the most gifted fighters in the village, but he was just a regular citizen now.

Naruto could tell that Sasuke was still uneasy about it, but accepted it. It was better than execution or exile, which the council could have dealt out. This way, Sasuke spent his days fixing up the Uchiha complex and staying out of the eyes of the village that now treated him like a parriah.

Of course, Naruto knew all about that.

"Why do you come here every day, Naruto?" Sasuke said, sitting with him on the porch, "Don't you have things to do?"

"If neither Sakura nor I came here to feed you, you wouldn't eat."

Sakura was a touchy subject as well.

"You've got enough problems to deal with than having to deal with me."

"I've got enough going on that I can do whatever I damn well please instead of posturing to a bunch of old farts that won't accept me anyway."

"People still come here, you know," Sasuke said, "Lee came the other day and helped me put up the shingles. Neji stopped by," he sighed, "That one got him in trouble."

"Neji doesn't give a rat's ass about that shit either."

Sasuke stared towards the enterance gate, "How did you do it, Naruto? I don't necessarily miss being a shinobi. There's a part of my life now that's a lot less...complex. But how do you deal with the hatred?"

Naruto smiled, "I have you and Sakura," he said, "Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya, Tsunade when I was growing up. I have friends. As long as you know who the people are that really care, than nothing else really matters."

With a smile, the dark-haired man dug into his dinner, "Thanks, Naruto. If I could still vote," he said, "You would have my vote for Hokage."

Naruto chuckled, "I'm not even in the running. Tsunade said the council won't make a decision on the new Hokage for another six months."

Tsunade was retiring. She had said that she was ready to get out of the office and do what she wanted. Training a new Hokage and working at the hospital appealed to her now, and leaving the hard work to someone else seemed like her main goal. Naruto didn't really blame her, she had gone through a lot in the last ten years of her job.

Looking up, Naruto spied the latest row of shingles that Sasuke had been working on, "You need any help?"

His friend smiled, "I wouldn't turn it down."

* * *

><p>Gaara stood at the desk, and stared at the file in front of him.<p>

He had always been a very independent, private person. Most of that independence had gone out the window when he became Kazekage, but he didn't seem to mind that. He liked the village, and he liked serving the people. Some were still wary of him, but for the most part, they treated him with respect and admiration. It had taken a while to get use to people chatting with him and not screaming and running.

"The relationship between Suna and Kiri has always been shaky at best. We were able to maintain a type of alliance during the Fourth War, but that's starting to slip." Baki anounced.

"There are rogue groups from Kiri that have been attacking the outskirts of the village," someone informed him, "They currently lack the resources and man power to spread themselves out and take care of the rogue groups, so they are simply letting them go unchecked."

Gaara listened to the exchange, and then glanced at the file again.

He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

"This was an idea brought up by the Mizukage himself. There are many noble familes in Kirigakure. The Shibuya family is highly respected and has a long history of family members serving the Mizukage with loyalty. If you do this, Kazekage-sama, it will give us the first change to have official ties with Kirigakure."

He understood all of that. It was pretty much their last chance to try and reach a hand out and meet half-way. Sand and Water simply didn't mix, but in this, maybe Gaara could finally bridge the gap.

"I will do it."

He reached forward and stared at the picture of Shibuya Hikaru, and wondered what kind of person she was.

They would be getting married soon, after all.

* * *

><p>Kankuro slammed his hands down the desk, "Gaara! What is the meaning of this?"<p>

Gaara stared at his brother a moment, and returned to signing the papers, "This is the only way. I can not risk war, and if this is the way to advert it, I will take it."

"But what about what you want?" his brother demanded, "You're always bending over backward to make sure everyone is happy. Is this what you actually _want_? To marry some strange girl in another country just to make an alliance?"

"If it stops the threat of war, yes."

"This is madness!"

His brother had always been the emotional sort.

"Kankuro, get out," Temari snapped from her place at the window, she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door, "You're not helping."

"Hey-"

She slammed the door shut, and turned back to Gaara.

All three of them were fairly close. She knew that Kankuro would be upset by this, but she knew Gaara a little better than everyone thought. Walking over to the desk chair, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you really okay with this? Just say the word, and Kankuro and I will take care of it," she said, "He's right. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I do not have a choice."

"There is always a choice," she smiled at him, "You may be the high and mighty Kazekage, but you're still my brother. If you want something, I'll make it happen for you."

He sighed, "I will do it."

"Alright, then. We'll support any decision you want to make, you know that. But, Gaara-" she paused, "What about Matsuri?"

He leaned back in the chair, "How is she?"

"She's a Jounin now. Doing very well. One of the greatest weapon masters that Suna has seen in years," Temari told him, "Misses you."

He missed her too.

"She willl...have no trouble. I am confident that she will have a good life now."

Temari frowned. Even though no one would agree with her, both of her brothers were the same. They were hard-headed and stubborn. Gaara was silent when Kankuro was demanding, but they were still the same.

"If you say so, Gaara," she said, "This is going to be a big event. They're sending out invitations for it."

"Make sure Naruto and the others are coming."

She nodded, "Of course."

* * *

><p>Naruto stood up off the roof, and stared in the direction of the forest.<p>

He always heard the frogs croaking. It was a side-effect of being so in tune with the summoning jutsu. He always heard them.

They were silent.

Sasuke looked disturbed as well. "What is it? Can you tell?"

"Something has invaded Konoha territory. Someone," Naruto closed his eyes and listened, "I can't tell what. They're masking themselves really well. I'd better get to headquarters," he leapt off the roof, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke stood up off the roof, looking in the direction of the forest. The ocean lay just beyond it.

"If see anything, send me a message."

"I will," he replied.

Something wasn't right.

* * *

><p>Naruto dashed up the steps of the headquarters two at a time. He made his way to the office at the end of the hall. The secretary had long stopped trying to tell him to make an appointment. Naruto always just went in without asking anyway.<p>

The door opened to Tsunade's office, and Hinata emerged.

He froze.

She looked up at him, a smile on her face, "Hello, Naruto-kun."

They had never really talked about what happened during the war, or about the fact that she loved him. He wondered if she still did. Hinata was always quiet, and her schedule didn't match up with his. She was a member of the Anbu, and worked closely with Anko-san. The Byakugan afforded her a great advantage on missions, and she was a rather vicious fighter when she wanted to be.

Naruto still saw the scene in his mind of her defending him and being cut down by Pain.

Grabbing the door to the office, he arrogantly pushed through it like always, "Hey-"

Everyone blinked at him. Tsunade sat at her desk, Shizune standing behind her. There was someone sitting in the chair before her desk, with long dark hair and a lavender uniform. Hinata glanced behind her, and smiled at Naruto, "Hello, Naruto-kun."

"Don't you ever knock?" Tsunade grumbled at him, "Stop gaping, and shut the door behind you when you come in."

Naruto did as she said, and took a seat next to Hinata.

He avoided her quite a bit. It helped that she was frequently working with the Anbu and had different missions. Even sitting next to her, he felt slightly nervous. Why, he didn't really understand it. She was the only person who made him this uneasy.

_Because I love you, Naruto-kun._

He felt his face heat up. She was the only living person that had ever really told him that she loved him. Kyuubi even had a strange feeling towards her, considering she had nearly given her life for the both of them. They never talked about that time, so it always felt like some big unspoken taboo in the room. Hinata never brought it up, and neither did he. The tables had turned on him it seemed. Now instead of her always seeming awkward, he felt like the awkward one.

"It's a good thing you came, I guess. I was about to send for you," the Godaime told him, "You felt the disturbance over on the northeast end of the village."

"There's something in the woods. Sasuke sensed it too," he said, "It's too quiet over there."

"Rumor has it that there is an organization that originated from Kirigakure. They're part of the old regime there, and are dissatisfied with the current government. They've been mostly quiet, but reports show that they've started raiding outskirts of the Wind Country. The Kazekage is looking into it, but it looks like we might be next on the list."

"That's all empty territory," Hinata replied, "The forest is there, and it's close to Konoha. It's a very strategic location if they're looking to hide and look into Konoha."

"That's why I sent-" she glared at Naruto, "Was going to send for you. I have a mission for the two of you, and it has to be done very discreetly." She took out a folder of the photos and handed it to Hinata, "I need you two to scout the area. I don't want to send more than a two-man cell since it may attract attention. Naruto, you know the woods well, and Hinata will be able to detect an rogue chakra signatures in the area."

"What about Neji?" he asked, looking at the photos.

Tsunade frown at him for a moment like she was disappointed it him. What the hell was her problem? "Neji is on a mission right now. Hinata is perfectly capable of going in his stead."

He looked up for a moment, and then glanced at Hinata. She hadn't made a single comment over his rude question. Naruto shrugged and looked back at the photos. He would rather die than admit he was nervous around her, "Sounds like a plan to me. When do we go?"

"Tonight," Tsunade instructed, "I want a full report. No matter how insignificant, I want you to look into it."

"Yes, ma'am," Hinata answered her, "We'll do everything that we can."

He nodded, handing the photos back to Hinata. It looked like they were going on a mission together. After closing the office door behind him, he glanced back at Hinata who was waiting patiently in the hall for him. They still had a lot of details to mow out.

It looked like they were actually doing this.

"I have to head back to Hyuuga House to pack a few things," Hinata turned to him, "Would you like to meet me there in ten minutes?"

"Sure thing," he said, "Ah, Hinata?" She stopped, her opal eyes looking straight at him and not missing anything. His nerve suddenly died a quick death. "Um, n-nothing."

"Okay, see you later."

He watched her disappear down the hall.

It was going to be a long couple of days.

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><p><em>I hope everyone will like this story :D It's still a work in progress, but I'm going to try updating it as much as I can. Feel free to check my profile if you're ever curious about what other update news is going on. I've always been a big fan of Hinata, and I'm really happy to finally write a story with her in it! I'm still combing through the chapter for editing, and hopefully ch 2 will be up soon.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

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><p>Kaguya Takashi sat at the desk, and glared at his sister.<p>

"Honestly," she said, "Why do I have to be sacrificed on the pillar for the clan to marry that Suna bastard?"

His little sister was bossy and spoiled. "You won't actually have to marry him, Hikaru."

"I supposed it's for the best," she sighed. Hikaru was beautiful, but her personality was to be desired. Before their parents died, they had given her everything she wanted, whenever she asked for it. She wanted a pony, she got it. She wanted the neighbor girl dead because she copied her hair style? She got that too. She had never really worked a day in the life, but she knew how to manipulate and act better than anyone he knew. When the Kazekage met her the next week, he would never know what hit him.

"Taking the Kazekage hostage will put Suna under our fingertips," he said, "We need to take control of the area. The troops in Konoha aren't ready yet, so we have to bide our time."

The first phase of the plan had started. It had attracted the attention of Konoha, which was his plan. It was important to pull their attention away from Suna.

"Well, at least he's not half bad looking. I couldn't abide by it if he was ugly," she said.

"I don't care if you think he's attractive or not. You're doing it."

Hikaru sighed, and stood up out of the chair, pacing around the room, "I'll have to go to that wretched desert in two days. My skin will get all dried out. Maybe I'll be able to get a tan, though. That would be nice."

She was spoiled and shallow. Takashi grumbled and sat back in the chair, ignoring her. He really didn't care if she liked it or not, as long as she went to Suna and pretended to be the fiance of the Kazekage. The months of outfitting the prison to hold Gaara would be worth it once put to use. He would be a veritable fountain of information about Suna and Konoha if they could manage to capture him.

The Shukaku demon would be trouble, but Takashi was confident that they had figured out a way around that. Their base was hidden carefully, and he knew that no one would find them unless he allowed it.

"Someday, when you rule the world, brother," Hikaru grinned, "Maybe we could hold those tournaments again, right? I've never seen them, but I hear they're spectacular. A whole class fighting to the death. It must be beautiful."

That was one thing that he admired about her. She really was merciless, and she was intelligent. Hikaru knew what she was doing, and knew how to get it done. He couldn't help but smile at her, feeling his mood lift.

No one would be the wiser.

* * *

><p>Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made his way up the hill. He only been to Hyuuga House a handful of times, and only with Neji and the other guys. He lived in a different house in the complex. Hinata lived at the main house, and Naruto had never been there.<p>

It was a pretty area on the east side of Konoha, filled with activity. There were merchant stands all up and down the street, a school in the opposite direction, and even it's on clinic. A training hall sat close to the building, where he knew that the family trained it's shinobi. Hinata sparred there with Neji, he knew. It was made of reinforced concrete and barriers able to withstand the full use of the Byakugan talents.

The gate was open, and Naruto stepped into the main yard. The house was amazing. Carved dark wood and silver paint decorated the rooftops, and it matched the dark wood over the top of the retaining wall around the main house. Naruto walked up the sidewalk, stopping at the front entry. It was a little intimidating, but he rang the door chime and waited for Hinata to answer the door. He was slightly early for the meeting time, but he didn't think she would mind.

The door opened.

Hinata wasn't the one who answered.

Hiashi Hyuuga stared back at Naruto with a dissatisfied look on his face, "Uzumaki-san."

If it was possible to face a hundred Pains, Naruto would have rather done that instead of facing Hinata's father. It was no secret that the majority of the old families in Konoha disliked Naruto. This seemed to be no different with Hinata's father, even though he politely held the door open for Naruto to enter the house.

"Please, take a seat in the living room," he said, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thanks," Naruto said, sitting and hoping maybe Hiashi would leave the room and let Naruto wait in peace. Instead, it seemed that the fates were angry with him today. Hiashi took a seat across from him and poured a cup of tea.

"You'll be on a mission with my daughter."

"Yes, sir." Why did this feel like he was taking Hinata out on a date? This was a mission handed down by the Godaime herself, not some sort of pleasure trip.

"Don't misunderstand me, Uzumaki-san. I don't hold the same opinions about you as some others may."

_You could have fooled me_, Naruto thought.

"I will, however, never forget the fact that my daughter almost gave her life on the battlefield to protect yours. She almost died that day," Hiashi stared back at him, "I know that Hinata cares for you."

Oh, shit.

"If anything happens to my daughter during the course of this mission. Don't expect to return to Konoha in one piece," her father looked him square in the eye, "I will hunt you down myself and make you regret it."

It was hard to believe that this was the same man that made Hinata give up her position in the family to her younger sister. Naruto always thought that the man was cold and uncaring, that he cared more about duty then the actual happiness of his children. Naruto watched Hiashi for a moment, and then frowned, "I swear to you, sir, that I will protect Hinata with me life."

Her father nodded, and with that, the subject was dropped.

Hinata stood in the doorway, a small satchel tied to her back, "You're early," she gave her father a slightly skeptical look, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Naruto grinned, standing up, "Are you ready to go?"

"Ready if you are," she smiled, "I'll be back in a few days, father."

"Keep safe, Hinata," he looked over at Naruto. _Remember your promise, Uzumaki-san._

Naruto grinned back, and followed Hinata towards the door. He would keep her safe, even if it cost him his life.

* * *

><p>They walked for hours in silence. Even though they were concentrating on the surroundings, there wasn't much need for talking. The quiet and the forest were more valuable than communication.<p>

It was a great day outside for their purpose. Slightly grey, and not windy. The forest was filled with life and sounds, enough to mask any that they would potentially make. Hinata wasn't too worried about it, as they had been trained to walk without sound. Even someone as loud as Naruto didn't even crack a leaf when he moved through the woods.

She had been disheartened when he first asked why she was working with him and not Neji. Of course, she understood why he ask, but that didn't stop the sting of hurt from it.

Over the last ten years, they had avoided each other. She had to admit that she had been guilty of it too, since she didn't really want to talk about that time during the war. Her father had been upset by the fact that she almost died, and was blaming on Naruto. She had panicked for a moment to see them both in the living room together, but all had seemed alright.

"Do you see anything odd, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Something didn't feel right about this mission, but she didn't say so. There was a bad feeling from the start, like a dark cloud following them, or that someone was watching them. She activated the Byakugan, and scanned the area.

"There aren't any strange chakra flows," she said, "We're still in the outskirts of the forest, it'll take another day to reach the heart of the forest. It's possible we just haven't come across anything yet."

Naruto seemed to think on that a moment. "I want to take a look from up there."

She watched as he leapt up into the trees. Paying attention to the forest floor around her, she could hear him moving around from above. Everything seemed alright, but too quiet for ease of mind. Something was scaring the animals, and Hinata wanted to find out what it was. Naruto lowered himself to the ground beside her, "Why don't we break for lunch?"

"Sounds good," Hinata smiled. They had brought enough supplies to last a few days, but they could live off the woods if they had too. She had wondered what he would do for lunch, and decided to surprise him. "I brought something for you, Naruto-kun."

He blinked curiously at her as she reached into her satchel, and lifted out a packed lunch.

His mouth dropped open.

She liked the look of surprise on his face. It would have surprised her if anyone had ever made him a lunch before. Naruto lived alone and took care of himself. Did he really have anyone do to something nice for him?

"I'm not as good of a cook as my sister, but..." she said, holding the handkerchief-wrapped box out, "I hope it tastes alright."

"You didn't have to," he said, hesitantly taking it from her as he sat beside her on the boulder.

Hinata grinned, "No, but I wanted to."

Naruto looked up at her, and then smiled, "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

His fingers untied the fabric, and he lifted the cover off. There was a look of pleasure on his face, and she watched as he happily dug in. It felt nice sitting next to him and sharing a quiet meal. Of course, Hinata had years to come to terms with the fact that she would always love him, but that he would never feel the same way, it was still hard to sit beside him.

Her family was starting to hint that they wanted her to settle down. Although they would support her decision to remain a shinobi, she was expected to marry and have children in a way of continuing the Hyuuga line. The elders had been telling her that she was five and twenty and needed to marry, even though she didn't want to.

Someday, she would meet someone, and settle down with them. Even if she found someone that made her happy, she would always love Naruto Uzumaki. As a little girl, she had been infatuated with him. He had been loud and different, and she had liked that about him. He treated her like an equal, and had genuinely liked spending time with her. When they were older, he had respected her for her skills as a nin.

But he never felt the same way about her that she felt about him.

Hinata loved him with every breath in her body. In a perfect world, they would run off together and live their own lives. Naruto could be hokage, she would still do missions, but would spend as much time with him as possible. He had such a had life growing up that she wanted to do the things for him that no one else had. Make him breakfast in bed. Buy him presents for the holidays. Go on evening walks...

Looking at him now, those feelings hadn't changed. Her heart would always love him, no matter what path they chose to take.

"You're an excellent cook, Hinata-chan. It was really good."

She smiled, "Thank you."

"Looks like we should get back to it. We've got a lot of ground to cover before nightfall."

Hinata put the lunches back into her bag, "I'm ready."

Switching back to the Byakugan, she set off after Naruto. Even through their quiet lunch, the uneasy feeling still hadn't left her.

* * *

><p>Sasuke sat at the table, Sakura sitting across from him.<p>

It was a quiet meal. Delicious like she always made, but still too silent. Sasuke wanted to ask her about her day, and tell her about his. They would have easily talked in the past, even when she was fawning over him. Part of him now would give anything to get that ease back.

"I'll stop by tomorrow have my appointment with Tsunade-sama and help with the garden. Shikamaru told me that he'd be willing to come up tomorrow and help finish painting the house."

Putting together the Uchiha house had become a group project, it seemed. Sasuke didn't complain. It just meant he didn't have to spend the days alone.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" she looked up.

"Thank you for dinner."

Sakura took a sip of tea, "You're welcome."

"You don't have to come here every evening, you know," he said, hesitating slightly and asking, "I wouldn't want to interrupt any plans you have."

"No plans," she told him, "Working for the hokage doesn't exactly leave me with free time."

He wanted to know if she was seeing anyone. For some reason, the prospect of Sakura seeing a man made him irritable. When dinner was finished, he picked up the dishes, and they headed to the kitchen to clean up.

Sakura would dry and he washed. It was an easy routine that they established in since he was released from prison and allowed to return home. Sakura would cook, he would wash, she would dry. The dishes were his mother's, and Sakura had told him specifically that it was the right thing to do in cleaning them right away.

He looked out of the window towards the forest. Something felt off to him, but he wasn't sure what. Sometimes the cursed seal gave him strange feelings, but it was nothing.

"I'll be here at seven tomorrow," Sakura packed up her things for the night, pulling on her jacket. It was chilly at night. He had a jerk reaction to offer her to stay the night in one of the guest rooms, but quickly shut down the feeling.

"Thank you, Sakura, for making dinner."

"It's no problem," she said, standing on the front porch, "Breakfast is in the fridge. All you have to do is heat it up."

"Thanks. Have a good night."

She nodded, and turned away. She was always turning away, and he hated it. Hated the fact that she treated him like he had some sort of illness and she had to pussyfoot around him. He didn't really blame her, considering that he had tried to kill her before, but he didn't know what to do to make it right. The villagers he could get over, but Sakura was another story.

"Sakura?"

She stopped on the porch stairs and turned back, "Is something wrong?"

He opened his mouth to reply. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he had to say something. A glint caught his eye, and he reacted on impulse, "Look out!"

Sakura gasped as he shoved her aside and took a kunai to the shoulder, "Sasuke-"

He wasn't a shinobi anymore, but that didn't mean he wasn't a fighter. Yanking the kunai from his shoulder, he turned it once on a finger, and deflected the shurkien on a course for Sakura.

He backed up, and pressed her against the door of the house.

"Move, Sasuke!" she struggled behind him, "I need to see what's going on!"

"Something is out there," that was the biggest understatement he could have made. His shoulder burned and bled, "Sakura, get out of-"

"Get out of my way!"

Sasuke stepped aside as she pulled on her gloves, stepping into the courtyard. They stood back to back, eyes moving around them. "Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

"Nothing vital was hit. I'll be fine."

"I'm sure we can remedy that for you, boy."

The voice came from the rooftop of the house. They looked up to see a nin grinning down at them, another appeared to the left. Sasuke caught the sign on their bands.

Kirigakure. Village of the Mist.

They were being invaded by the mist, a village they were supposed to be allied with. The cursed seal warmed on his shoulder, wanting him to fight the battle to the death. He could ignore it without a problem now.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked.

The man on the roof grinned.

"You're lives."


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

* * *

><p>"You're trespassing on Konoha territory," Sakura cut in before Sasuke could reply, "I'll give you thirty seconds to removed yourselves, or I'll remove you."<p>

"Such strong words from a woman," the big man smiled. He disappeared, reappearing beside his comrade, "There aren't enough women like you in the world."

"Is that so?" Sakura said, putting herself between the man and Sasuke. The more she could prevent Sasuke from having to intervene, the better, "You have ten seconds."

The man grinned

Sasuke gritted his teeth. It only pissed him off at having Sakura draw attention to herself, "Times up," he flipped his hands through familiar jutsus. There was something about the movements that always calmed him in battle. Stepping beside Sakura, he aimed the hail of fire straight at the invaders. They were on Uchiha property if anything else, and there was nothing against the rules about defending himself.

The men disappeared.

"Below!" Sakura roared, her fist on a course right for the earth.

The man's laugh filled her ears, and she watched the steam raise from the earth. It was a strange genjutsu, but designed to throw off an opponent.

Sakura growled, "We have to see Tsunade-sama now. She must know about this."

"Something doesn't feel right. Those bands said Kirigakure, but I don't think they're from the village."

She glanced at Sasuke, "What do you mean?"

"Konoha is supposed to have strong ties with Kiri now since the war. Why would they attack us?"

Sakura moved around him, and inspected the wound on his shoulder. The powers of the curse seal were already healing, but he felt the warmth of her healing on his back. "You think it's a rogue nin?" she asked.

"I would know, hm?" he glanced back at her.

She was silent for a moment, and finishing with his back. Glancing at the flower beds she had destroyed, Sakura sighed, "I'm sorry about the flowers."

He didn't care about the flowers. As long as she was alright, that was all that mattered. He still didn't like that look on the man's face when he leered at her. It disgusted him to think about it.

"I hope Naruto-kun is alright," she said, "If this has to do with his mission, I hope that they haven't run into trouble."

She was worried about Naruto. Goddamn it all. "We have to see Tsunade," he said, "At this late at night, I should be able to go to headquarters with you without causing a stir."

"I don't care what they think, Sasuke," she said, scooping her things off the porch.

He cared what they thought of _her_, if it was because of him. He cared more than he should.

* * *

><p>They had detected the strange chakra five minutes ago. Naruto lay against the rockface, a spyglass over his eyes, staring at the sight.<p>

"There's definitely something going on down there."

Hinata was perched beside him, her clever eyes scanning the land, "It's almost like they have some barrier around the city that blocks chakra. Or absorbs it, I can't really tell which."

"What the hell are they doing down there?" he frowned.

The ruins were strange to see. It was the old city of Uzu, once the capital of the great city of Uzushiogakure. Of course, the place was destroyed long before he was born, but that didn't stop the familiarity with it. He knew that his mother had been born there, and that was where his family originated from. Despite all of this, it was still weird to see it.

He hadn't been lying, though. There was something weird going on. He could see the Kiri nin wandering around, but he couldn't really tell what the purpose was. Did they want to invade? If so, they didn't seemed too concerned about being found out. Snapping a few pictures, he hoped it what at least make sense to someone in intelligence.

Hinata seemed slightly disturbed by the sight, "There's a large building over there. Most of the chakra seemed to be leading to that place."

"They must have something in there," Naruto glanced back at her, "Can you tell what they might be doing?"

She shook her head, "It's warded."

"Damn," he glanced back. There was a guard standing at the edge of the complex closest to them. He fixed the spyglass on him. They were at a significant distance where they couldn't be detected, but it was still worriesome.

The day was getting warmer, and the clouds parted slightly. Naruto glanced back over at the guard.

He was gone.

Curious, he pulled back and looked at the contraption in his hands. Then he realized, something.

"Shit!" he cursed, "We have to get out of here now, Hinata!" A kunai with an explosion tag fixed into the tree beside her head, "Hinata!"

She gasped as he scooped her up into his arms and leapt off the tree, the explosion followed him as he landed against a boulder and steadied himself. Setting her down beside him, he turned as the guard he had been watching crashed into her. Before her could run after, a kunai stuck in the ground, stopping him in his tracks.

"You've quite the nerve to think that you could sneak up on my establishment without being detected."

The man was pale with blond hair, and two red dots in the middle of his forehead. Pale, emotionless eyes stared back. Naruto bent over and gripped the kunai in his hands, "You have quite the nerve for invading Konoha land."

"This land isn't part of Konoha. The ruins of Uzu don't belong to anyone."

"I've heard stories about you, nin," the man replied, "You're Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails carrier. There are a lot of rumors about you."

Naruto chuckled, "They're all true."

"They say you're powerful and have won many battles. I think you're probably just a cocky kid who is too full of himself," he said, "I'm Kaguya Takashi, and although the Akatsuki weren't able to kill you, and I will succeed in that endeavor."

"Now who's full of themselves?"

"Maybe I'll use you as a guinea pig for my latest creation," Takashi sighed, "I've never tested it on a real jinchuriki yet, so I guess this is my chance."

There was a flash of blue light over the trees, and a human scream. It was too low to be Hinata's but it was still alarming. Naruto turned back around, he didn't have time to waste with this idiot. He had better places to be-

With a flash, Takashi stood in front of him, "You should know better than that, Naruto-san. Turning you're back on an opponent like that."

Naruto raised his hands to forms the jutsus he needed, and felt the sting on his neck before he could finish. The needle stuck out of the side of his neck, and he yanked it out, "I guess this will be you're first bit of information," the flash of blue light formed in his hands, "Poisons don't work on me."

Takashi saw the flash of Rasengan, and managed to flash away as Naruto dashed forward, the the blast destroying the top of the tree. Too bad, Naruto grumbled. A waste of a good tree, and this guy really was a big asshole.

"Oh, this isn't a poison," Takashi chuckled, "Take care, Naruto-san. I'll keep an eye on you."

"Bastard!" Naruto went to chase after, but the man was gone. All traces of chakra disappeared, and there was no safe way to chase after without getting overrun but guards from the complex.

The best choice was to regroup and find Hinata. The pictures and information were more important that crushing some arrogant jackass. Naruto turned back around, scratching his neck.

What the hell was it anyway? He didn't feel any different, or notice any change. That didn't necessarily make him feel better though. He keep it from Hinata for now, there was no reason to alarm her with stupid stuff.

Dashing through the woods, he found her perched on the branch of a tree.

A grin spread across his face.

Her opponent hadn't been much of a threat, it seemed, considering the scene before him and Hinata looking completely relaxed. She was waiting patiently for him, and smiled when he entered the clearing.

"Are you alright?" he asked anyway.

"Fine," she jumped from the tree, "We should get that back to Tsunade-sama. We'd better start back now."

"I agree," he told her, "Something doesn't feel right over there. It gives me a bad feeling."

She agreed with him too, and they set off back into the woods.

Naruto scratched his neck again.

* * *

><p>Takashi sighed as he settled down in his office. This was not necessarily the best result, but it just meant his plans had to move faster. Seeing the true test of the new chakra toxin they invented on the Nine-Tailed demon boy would be valuable, and worth all of the trouble.<p>

He pressed a hand to his side, and flinched at the pain. The Rasengan had clipped him, even though he had thought he dodged it. Getting hit straight-on would have done a lot of damage, and he would file this information away for a later date.

Hikaru was already on her way to Suna, so at least they would be able to capture the Shukaku before Konoha could effectively attack them. As long as the sand demon was imprisoned in their complex, they had the leverage they needed. His plans were still holding together, even though it appeared that the Konoha Hokage was a lot more shrewed than he assumed.

Uzumaki Naruto would be a worry.

He settled back into his chair, and let the healing chakra leave his hands and flow into the wound. He would rest for a little while, and then send a scout out to follow Naruto and his companion. With a smile on his face, he let himself rest with that thought in mind.

* * *

><p>Gaara stood at the window and stared at the woman in the courtyard. She was instructing the newest recruits on how to best use a Demon Wind Shuriken, which looked ridiculously enormous compared to her.<p>

She looked so different from when he first met her. Matsuri had become quite the accomplished nin in the last decade. For those first five years, she studied directly with him, and then finally branched off on her own. Still, she was the only nin in the village that ever had the guts to study under him. Every else had always been too afraid, but she hadn't.

Turning away from her students, there was a grin on a face, and she looked directly at the window.

He felt a pressure on his chest that threatened to choke him. The smile slid from her face, and she simply stared a moment while her students worked in the background.

There was a knock at the door, and he almost didn't hear it.

Matsuri smiled back at him, and waved.

Gaara nodded back, and turned away from the window, even though he didn't want to.

"Enter."

The door was opened by Kankuro, and behind him stood a petite, beautiful young woman.

He had seen pictures of her, but Gaara could confidently say that she was attractive. There was something about her that was charismatic, and a sharp intelligence in her eyes that said she didn't miss a thing. She had miles of long white hair that was partially bound on her head. She had a thin layer of make-up on her face, and her jewelry seemed to chime as she walked.

"Gaara-sama," she smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He stared at her a moment, and then looked up at his brother, or shut the door.

"You as well," Gaara replied, "Welcome to Suna."

She stared at him for a moment, an odd smile on her face. She walked with grace that only came from part of the aristocracy, and being trained from childhood in how to behave like a nobel. Gaara wasn't intimidated by her, but could understand how someone else might be.

"This is a fascinating place, your Sunagakure," she said, looking out the window, "The desert is so vast that it's scary."

"It can be."

"But it doesn't scare you, doesn't it, Gaara-sama?"

He didn't reply to that. Gaara stood beside her at the window.

"So, it seems we will be spending a lot of time together from now on. I can hardly wait for you to come back with me," Hikaru grinned, "I want to show you my home and to meet my brother. He's very interested in meeting you too."

"I look forward to it."

She was pleasant enough, he supposed.

But she wasn't Matsuri. There was no one like Matsuri.

He was the Kazekage, and he wouldn't give the position up for anything. If marrying this girl meant saving his village, he would do it. They had taken a big hit during the Fourth War, and he would do everything to prevent it from happening again. Even if it meant marrying some stranger.

"I should very much like to see your village, Gaara-sama. Will you give me a tour?" she grasped his arm, "It's quite amazing."

"Of course."

With the friendly smile on her face, he let himself relax slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if he made the best of it.

* * *

><p><em>Kyuubi restled in the cage. Something was coming towards him, something that wanted to devour his power and destroy him.<em>

_He growled in the cage._

_"What's wrong with you, stupid fox?" Naruto stood in the water, "I'm trying to sleep."_

_"Something is in here."_

_That was stupid. This part of his consciousness was locked down so tightly, thanks mostly to his parents. Glancing back at the fox, Naruto heard another growl from the demon. He couldn't stupid him, but he had to admit that Kyuubi knew things that were foolish to ignore._

_Heading towards the long corridors, lined with pipes and metal, Naruto glanced down the hallway, and then the other._

_What the hell?_

_There was something in the water. It looked almost like black blood. Wading through the hall, Naruto looked to the left, and felt a stab of panic._

_"What the hell is that?"_

_The black blood came from the walls, almost like there was an oily slime eating away at the structures. Naruto turned back down the hallway, and glanced at Kyuubi's cage. If this stuff was designed to dissolve the surroundings, what would that mean if it reached the cage?_

_Kyuubi growled again._

_The monster was afraid of it, not angry. Could it be possible that the ooze was a threat to the demon fox too? If something happened to the fox, Naruto knew he was dead. The spirit was so tied into his power and life-force, that he wouldn't last without the fox._

_"What is this stuff?"_

_"Seal acid," the fox rumbled, "Death."_

_Naruto looked up, "What?"_

_"We're going to die."_

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata was shaking him awake. He jerked upright, almost plowing into her, but she managed to grip his shoulders in time to steady him. They had camped for the night, sharing a tent, and he must have woken her.

"Naruto-kun?" she looked at him, "Are you alright?"

His closed eyes refused to open. His neck burned where the needle had stuck him, and he couldn't help from swaying and sinking into her shoulder. Hinata wrapped her arms around him, and gasped when she saw the side of his neck, "What-"

The black swirled around his skin like some sort of tattoed vines. It was getting bigger, having already covered his neck and dipping below his collar. Hinata pressed her hand to his forehead, he wasn't warm, but something was wrong.

"I...thought it was nothing."

"What happened?" she asked.

"That guy...stuck me with something. Poisons don't work on me...so-"

"You thought it wouldn't do anything?" she almost sounded angry, "You should have told me."

There was concern in her eyes. She thought she heard him murmur 'stupid fox' as she rest his head in her lap. "I just need a little rest," he whispered, "Then, I'll be good as new."

She trembled, "But-"

"Just rest," he said, his eyes opening slightly, "Sorry, Hinata-chan. I'm punking out on you here."

His eyes slid shut.

Hinata stared at him in the darkness as he slept, her eyes wide with shock. He had looked at her with the demon red eyes. Normally, Naruto had such control of the demon beast, that it catered to his every wish. Something was attacking him, causing to loose hold on the demon. If he lost control on the fox demon, what were they going to do then? Naruto would refuse to go to Konoha if he didn't think it was safe, and they needed to get the information back.

Hinata wouldn't leave him alone. She let her hand brush the hair from his face, and found that her hand trembled.

* * *

><p><em>I'm glad you like the story! So, apparently, I suck at editing, so I've starting going back through the other chapters and trying to fix the grammar edits that I missed. Writing stories at 2am is probably not a good plan, but oh well. I apologize for my editing skills, and thank you for all the lovely reviews! :D<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

* * *

><p>Naruto stared up at the sky, trying to focus his vision on the wide blue color overhead.<p>

His body felt like lead, and even with the most prodding, Kyuubi wouldn't even respond. The fox just stayed at the bottom of the cage, the black blood eating away at not only the seals, but at the fox's life force.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Hinata, but he couldn't go back to the village like this. If he did, and the seal broke, he would destroy everything. His choices wouldn't matter. The fox would break free and destroy everything that he knew and loved. The only consolation was that the fox would probably died shortly afterwards.

_Stupid fox._

"Naruto-kun?"

No matter how he pleaded, Hinata wouldn't leave him. She was just sticking with him because she felt some sort of an obligation to a sick person. He couldn't really tell her what the problem was without telling her the whole truth.

"Hinata," he told her, "You have to go back to the village. They need that information."

"I'm not leaving you here alone," she said, her eyes alarmed and worried, "You're getting worse, Naruto-kun. You're chakra," she blinked her eyes, "You're chakra is simply melting away. The red taking over the blue, with a hint of black below, that's the only way I can discribe it."

"I'm fine."

"You're lying," she said, "Tell me the truth."

Naruto closed his eyes. He could tell the fox was bleeding through again, turning his eyes red, "Hinata, you have to leave me here. It's the best for both of us," he told her, "Everyone will be in less danger."

"But what about you? You'll be here alone."

"Send for Tsuande. She and Sakura can probably figure out whats wrong."

"I'm not leaving you here!"

He jumped at the sudden raise in her temper. Hinata glared at him, "I'm not leaving you, so stop asking!" she said, "I'm not going anywhere, so stop trying to protect me and just tell me what it is!"

There were tears in the corners of her eyes, and Naruto lifted an arm to brush them away, "The seal on the fox is breaking. Whatever he injected me with, it's eating away at the seals. I can still feel the seals there, but it's almost like they're being nullified. It's killing Kyuubi, Hinata."

There was silence for a moment, and then she said, "It's killing_ you_."

"You need to go back," he said, "You need to complete the mission. I'm not as important as the village, Hinata."

_You're important to me_, she thought to herself. Gripping the hand resting on her face, she turned her nose to the inside of his palm. A plan formed in her mind, something dangerous and tricky. She knew that they were being followed. Naruto probably couldn't sense it because his chakra was mostly drained, but she knew. Somewhere out there, someone was tracking them, probably watching them now. They would kill him first before the poison did the trick.

She had to make them think she was gone, and then she could trap them herself. She could catch their enemies, and get the data to Tsunade-sama all at once.

"I'll go," she finally said.

He seemed to relax. The village was the biggest worry on his mind. Not whatever was eating him on the inside, or the fact that he was going to die. Only the village.

_Oh, Naruto-kun, can't you see that you're practically the Hokage already?_ She pressed her lips to the inside of his palm.

That got his attention.

Naruto blinked back at her, and she smiled back, "But I'll be coming right back here for you-"

"Hinata-"

"-and even if you tell me no, I still will. Do you think you can hide from me, even in this forest?" she replied, "I can find you anywhere, Naruto-kun. No matter where you hide, where you run," Hinata told him, "I'll find you."

He stared at her as she stood up, tugging the bag over her shoulders. She was quite magnificent when she was like this, and sometimes Naruto wondered if it had been the best thing that she was no longer the head of her family. She could be a shinobi and do whatever she wanted, and her confidence was so much better than when she was younger.

She was quite the accomplished young woman. He gave her a tired grin. And she was probably the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The plan did require her to leave me a little bit, she worried to herself. She didn't want to do that, but she had to get the information out, and she had to set the trap.

"Hold on, Naruto-kun."

Then she was gone.

* * *

><p>Sasuke sat in the hallway outside of the office. The meeting had been going on for a while. Since last night, they had been discussing with Tsunade over the turn of the events, and at one point, he was kicked out.<p>

That was alright, he was no longer a shinobi after all. It was no business of his.

He mulled over the fact that Sakura had clearly put herself in danger, and he didn't like it. It was a welcome thought for once, since everyone in the hallway were giving him lethal glares. At the beginning, it would make him nervous, but now it didn't really bother him. What did those people know about him, anyway? He had been stripped of his rank, but did they even understand why he did what he did? He regretted hurting others, hurting the village...but he had been lost then. The death of his brother hitting him hard, and learning the truth about what happened.

No one else understood. Who gave a damn about what they thought anyway?

"Uchiha."

Shikamaru stood in the hallway. It was early to be up, but he knew that Shikamaru was the head of the shinobi school, and that was the way it was. With a yawn, Shikamaru sat in the chair beside him, not caring a hoot that people gave him an odd look. Nara Shikamaru walked to the tune of his own beat, after all.

"I heard you were attacked."

"Word travels fast, I guess," Sasuke replied.

"It does when you spend time with a kunoichi who can create her own earthquakes."

Ah, they had felt the earth shaking from her fists. "We were attacked by some strange Kiri nins. I think they were rogue. Something tells me that Kirigakure doesn't really know anything about this. Or if they do, they probably thought it was a contained problem."

"It wouldn't benefit them to become enemies with Konoha, I agree," Shikamaru nodded, "But then, who are these people?"

"Tsunade sent Hinata and Naruto over to the boundary of the territory to gather information. Could it be linked with the nins that attacked you?"

"It's hard to tell, but my hunch says yes."

"There's something that confuses me, though," Shikamaru folded his arms, "Why make a big scene? I mean, if they really wanted to harm Konoha, they could have done it by now. If they've been hiding as long as we think in Uzu, then why didn't they just attack Konoha sooner? There has to be some motive here."

What, indeed. Sasuke thought a for a moment, and then decided that it made him uneasy too. There would have been ample time to big up a force long enough to attack Konoha, so why hadn't they done it sooner?

The door opened, and Sakura stepped into the hallway. Her face was completely void of color, and she held a message in each hand. Both men were instantly on their feet.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked. He didn't give a flip of Sasuke heard secret nin business, even though it was a breach in protocol, "What happened?"

"We just received a message from Hinata, it seems that Naruto has been injured, so she sent the message by carrier pigeon, and set back off into the woods after him. The nins that are stationed on the end of the territory have built some large facility there, although the purpose is unknown. They were attacked before they could get too close," she said, "But, that's not all."

Sasuke frowned, "Sakura?"

She looked up at both of them, the worry and shock on her face was alarming.

"Gaara is missing," she said, "The Kazekage has been kidnapped."

* * *

><p>Ryuien stood in Takashi's office, a grin on his face, "The Uchiha boy is stronger than we thought. We will have to make another plan in order to eliminated him. That kunoichi with him, however," his grin turned into a leer, "Quite amazing."<p>

"The cursed seal could pose a problem," Takashi told him. Ryuien was his second, and quite a powerful nin in his own right. He was large and his brute strength was immense, but that didn't even start to touch the power of his chakra. Of course, Ryuien was just some rogue nin that Takashi met, and not a member of the Kaguya family, but there was no need to be picky on allies that were strong and in agreement with the cause.

Capture the Shukaku. Take over Kirigakure. Bring down Konoha.

Take down the Five Nations.

He glanced towards the window, and the forest lined the horizon. The chakra bleeding out of the woods was troubling, but not unmanageable. Uzumaki must be having a hard time of it, Takashi figured. Chakra acid was one of the few compounds ruled as forbidden, like some sorts of jutsus. Mostly because it was painful, and because it basically ate a person from the inside out. It was also one of the few poisons to kill a jinchuriki.

"I have a task for you, Ryuien. I believe that it's time to check on our guest in the woods," Takashi replied, "If the poison hasn't killed him, make sure to finish the job. That shouldn't be too hard, after all."

Ryuien grinned, "No, I believe not."

The door opened, and Hikaru came in without knocking. She grinned at Ryuien, and Takashi knew very well that she had a crush on his second. It made no matter to him.

"I've brought you a present, brother dear. He's secured in the cell block and waiting for you," Hikaru said, a smile on her face, "I believe he'll fight a little, but in the end, they all cave."

"Good work, Hikaru. And the Suna have lost the trail?"

"They didn't suspect a thing," his sister chuckled, "Poor bastard tried to fight it at first. What a mistake that was, although it did cost us a few men."

"No matter. As long as we achieved the end goal."

She grinned, "How is the other experiment?"

Takashi glanced towards the forest again, "Just about ready."

* * *

><p>Hinata hurried through the trees. She knew that she had to go too far in order to send the message, and didn't like it. Now, she had to make up for lost time in order to catch Naruto. The red chakra was blending with the air, almost like bloody mist, and the forest itself was shivering in fear. Kyuubi Nine-Tails was so fierce, that he made the planet tremble.<p>

_Oh, Naruto-kun, I should have never left._

She could take him back to the village and have him treated, but where had he gone? The chakra was blending in so well that it was difficult to tell where the actual trail was. It wouldn't take Konoha long to send reinforcements, but it would still be a good ten hours before they were found. She would have to stick it out until the next morning.

Where was he? Hinata stopped on a branch, and glanced towards the valley. Everything was silent, and she turned her gaze to catch sight of a flash of orange.

He was standing beside the lake, and for a moment, she relaxed. When she had left, he could barely move. If he could stand, he must be getting better, right? The demon must be healing him.

"Naruto-kun!"

He didn't respond to her voice, and she jumped from the tree, running down the hill.

The first nin slammed into her, and Hinata shrieked as she slammed into the tree. He ran down the trunk after her, and planting her hands on the earth, she flipped upright, and gained her balance.

The next foot flew towards her head, and she ducked it, flipping over to dodge a third. The kunai dragged against her arm, but she ignored it, drawing one of her own to deflect the kunai of the fourth nin.

They circled her, all hooded and cloaked. They meant to kill her, and then to kill Naruto-kun. In his weakened state, he wouldn't be able to defend himself. Hinata braced herself, a kunai in each hand. She knew how to defend herself in a full circular area around her, but there was no way to tell how strong her opponents worked. Sometimes a fail-safe defense wasn't enough.

They charged her, and Hinata dipped low, sweeping her legs under the first nin, planting a foot in the face of the second. Someone called out a jutsu for water, and Hinata cursed. Raising her fists in front of her, the blue chakras of the lions surrounded her, and she used her fist to deflect a row of shurikens. She managed to keep herself from loosing an arm, but the metal still tore through her skin.

The water dragon rose over the trees, and flew towards her. She leapt foreward onto a tree, running to the edge of the branches.

_Juho Soshiken! Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!_

She wouldn't let them kill Naruto-kun. Even if she lost her own life, she wouldn't let them hurt him.

The dragon slammed her head-on, and the water froze into sharp pieces. It was like meeting hundreds of kunai, all slamming into her at once. She screamed as she was shoved into a tree, the water stretching out into a big hand, grabbing her and throwing her into the ground.

"You're not our target," one of the nin replied, the bigger of the others, "But were told eliminate the target by any means. You don't have to die, but we'll kill you if you keep interfering."

Hinata gritted her teeth, "I won't let you hurt him!"

She watched the man's eyes grow wide as the lion's swirled around her once again, and she smashed her fist into his chest. She was about to move to the next nin, when a terrifying burst of power filled her mind.

The nin turned away from her and looked at the clearing.

Even the trees burned as Naruto stepped through the clearing. She saw the red chakra, the kind that she had seen during his fight with Pain, and from the stories that the others told. The chakra of the Nine-Tails swirled about him, forming tails and ears.

She counted six tails.

She remembered hearing from Tsunade-sama and Captain Yamato that the more tails that were visible, the more in danger Naruto was from the Nine-Tails chakra. Bone was beginning to cover half his face. Hinata gasped, "Naruto!"

He dashed towards them.

* * *

><p>Matsuri ran down the hallway, and yanked open the door to the main study, not even caring that she was only a Jounin and not a member of the council.<p>

Temari, Kankuro, and Baki stood in there with a host of other nins. They all looked at her in shock, "Where's Gaara-sama?" she asked, "I demand to know!"

Temari was the first to break away from the group, taking Matsuri's arm, and leading the girl away despite the protest. Closing the doors, they made their way to one of the residence halls, and Temari pulled her into the private library.

"Temari-san," she said, pulling her arm away, "Is it true? Is Gaara-sensei-"

"Gaara has been taken by a group of rogue Kiri nins that were posing as representatives from Kirigakure. It looks like..." Temari sighed, like she still didn't want to believe it, "They've taken him hostage. We're not sure how they managed it, or for what purpose, but they have him."

"I knew it," she said, pacing around the room, "I had a bad feeling from the start."

She remembered standing on the docks at the ship took Gaara away to the land of Kiri. He had been promised to marry a girl from there in order to strengthen relations. Matsuri had watched them together, thinking it was for the best.

The girl had been beautiful, highly-educated, and well spoke. She was obviously from nobility, and knew exactly what to say and when to say it. She was graceful. Had she mentioned beautiful? So beautiful that every man had stared at her as she walked down the street on Gaara-sensei's arm.

They had boarded the ship two days ago. Gaara had told them he would be returning in a week's time to finalize preparations, and he had shook hands were Kankuro and hugged Temari. Matsuri remembered standing on the dock as he walked past, stopping momentarily in front of her.

_"Gaara-sama."_

His eyes gave her a look, and suddenly she wanted to cry. There was a red pendant around his neck, the same one she had given him so many years ago at the holiday celebrations. Back when he had first danced with her, and kissed her.

Since then, they had always been friends, but she loved him with every fiber in her being. Not like he was the leader and she was his subordinate, even though she did admire and respect him. She loved him. Telling Temari one year when she had drank one too many sakes at the end-war celebration had probably been a mistake, but she couldn't help that Temari-san knew. Had Temari told her brother the truth?

He nodded back, and then disappeared down the docks. Matsuri had stood there and watched, long after the crowd left, and long after the boat was gone. Gaara-sensei was gone, and she was alone.

"They used his weaknesses on the boat as a way to get to him," Temari sighed, "Most people can logically figure out that his weakness is water. We should have sent a small group of bodyguards, but-"

"Gaara-sensei wanted it to be in good faith," Matsuri stood in the library and stared out the window, "I'll go after him."

* * *

><p><em>an This story is a little disjointed ::sigh:: Hopefully, it'll start coming together a little better soon, and won't have like...four plots going on at once. I intended for it to be complex, but I shouldn't loose track of my own story. Gah!_

_Anyway, thank you for all the lovely reviews! :D_


	5. Chapter 5

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

* * *

><p>"Naruto!"<p>

The red streak appeared behind one of the other ninja, snapping his neck, and moving on.

Hinata gasped as she watched the next one fall, a long arm stretched through the man's chest.

The larger nin took exception, and charged. Using the tree for leverage, Naruto leapt towards him, and they both hit the ground that it shook. Hinata watched as they pitched over the cliff. She pulled herself up, limping towards the edge on her twisted ankle.

It was quiet for a moment, and she strained to listen for any hint of battle. Her eyes squinted at the trees, as just as she was about to activate the Byakugan, the red streak of Naruto Nine-Tails burst from the trees.

Straight at her.

She shrieked as he plowed into her, sliding a few feet, and hitting the tree with such force that it knocked the wind out of her. There was a low, menacing growl, and she found herself trembling as he leaned over her. There was no way to free herself, his chakra was so immense that she wouldn't get away. Even if she had been in full health.

"Naruto-kun, it's me," she said, "It's Hinata."

A growl answered her.

The red chakra burned. She flinshed as he arm brushed her shoulder, burning the skin through her flak jacket. Gritting her teeth, she looked up again, "Naruto-kun. It's okay. You don't have to fight anymore."

He was too far gone to understand her. There was one option left to her, but it was too dangerous to even comprehend. She could use her Byakugan to tap into his seal. By using her own blood, she could try and break into it, but there was no telling from this state if she would be able to get out again. Her mind would be locked and she would die.

Deadly, blank red eyes stared at her as he pressed her back into the earth. Her hair spread around her in a dark halo, and she felt the tears burn in her eyes. She couldn't let him hurt her. If he woke out of his state and discovered that he had hurt someone-

"Naruto-kun, it's me," she said, flinching slightly when he growled, "Everything is alright, you can relax now." Nothing happened. She stared at his slightly fanged teeth, and her hands lifted to touch the sides of his face. The chakra burned he skin, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"Naruto!"

He growled back at her.

What else could she do? She didn't know what else would bring him out of it. Hinata brushed her palms over his cheeks, and ignored the answering hiss. Stupid fox. If he didn't like being touched, he shouldn't have taken over Naruto-kun in the first place.

_Screw it._

She leaned forward, arching off the ground, and kissed him.

It was obviously not what the fox had been expecting, and he froze. That was a little consolation, she supposed. Her lips lightly brushed over his. She had to keep his attention, get it away from the rage.

Ever so softly, she felt his mouth press against hers.

_That's right, Naruto_, she grinned, _come back to me._ She nipped his lower lip, pulling her down on top of her. There was a different type of growl in his chest this time, and his hands moved over her thighs, settling on her waist.

She wrapped one of her legs around the back of his, keeping him from moving away. Of course, if he had really wanted to, she knew she wasn't strong enough to stop him.

He kissed her back, his own hands resting in her hair, pulling so tight it almost stung. She could tell he was struggling with himself, trying to reign in on his actions, but still out of control. Now was the best time to make her move.

She sighed as he trailed his lips down her neck, his warm fingers slipping underneath her flak jacket. Her hands trembled as she bit the end of her thumb, and reached underneath his uniform to press it to the seal.

_I'll save you, Naruto-kun. I'll do it._

He was already starting to come back on his own, but he needed help. Hinata closed her eyes, the Byakugan powers activating, and pulling her consciousness through the Nine-Tail seal.

* * *

><p>Hinata stood in a metal cooridor. Up to her knees in water, she swished through the hallway, wondering which way she was supposed to go. The extent of the seal on Naruto's mind was amazing, even though she could tell there was something wrong.<p>

There was a black tint to everything, and when she touched the metal walls, they crumbled slightly. That couldn't be good. She contrinued down the hallway, listening, trying to feel her way through. It was darker then it should have been, even though she had never been here before and didn't know how it should look.

Taking a right at the next turn, she said a red glow from a room off to the left. Trying to hurry as fast as she could, she leaned into the room, and gasped.

The cage was huge, larger than anything she had ever seen. A ginated clawed paw rest through the cage, bleeding and unmoving. She struggled through the water, falling once, pulling herself up. The fox was in bad shape, and the seal over the cage was melting as the black oil spread over it.

There was a deadly hiss as she neared the cage.

"You're the Nine-Tails, aren't you?" she whispered, "Please, let me near the cage."

The hiss grew louder, and red eyes glared back at her. Hinata moved closer, and couldn't stop the scream leaking through her throat as the claws shot towards her. She had to remind herself that an injured animal was usually more dangerous than a healthy one.

"Please, let me save you," she said, "I don't want to loose you."

_I'll kill you for intruding._

"Fine," she said, biting her thumb again, "But let me strengthen the seal first and get rid of the chakra acid. Then, you can kill me all you want."

_Stay back!_

Hinata ignored him this time, she began to rewrite the seal, following the script. Whoever wrote it had been a master, someone who knew precisely what to do. She was still unsure, but she would do whatever she could.

The black taint began to clear as she finished the seal. It was zapping her energy, to use this much of the Byakugan in such a high-level seal. She had to wrap her arm around the cage in order to stay standing. Her vision began to fade.

_No, damn it! I won't let myself go-_

There was a slight glow from the seal as she reached the last character. Her energy gave out. The battle with the nin, trying to fight for Naruto-kun...she couldn't do anything more...

"Hang in there, sweetie. You're doing alright."

An arm wrapped around her, and pulled her up. Hinata found herself leaning against the strange woman behind her. Reaching foreward, she finished the rest of the seal, and let her arm fall forward. The fox roared as the black instantly vaporized, and the cage strengthed. Maybe even stronger than before.

_I'll kill you!_

Hinata found herself pulled roughly back from the cage, "Don't worry about him. He's all bark and no bite. Stupid fox."

The woman had kind eyes, and flaming red hair that seemed to go on for miles. Hinata smiled, "Thank you."

"Thank you for saving my son."

Hinata blinked at the woman. She had the same kind of eyes as Naruto. Not the same color, but the same look to her.

"You're Naruto-kun's mother."

"Kushina," she grinned, "I don't have much time. The break on the seal activated the remainder of the chakra that myself and Naruto's father left, but you were here to repair it. Thank you-"

"Hyuuga Hinata."

Kushina grinned, "Hyuuga, huh? My son has good taste," she said, "Goes for the best of everything, hm? He's just like his father." She then chuckled at her own implication.

She was already fading when she turned to Hinata, "Take care of him, Hinata. He never had someone to do it."

"Don't worry," Hinata grinned, she was fading too, going back to the real world. "I'll protect him with my life."

Kushina chuckled, "Good."

* * *

><p>Hinata woke to warm lips pressed to her neck.<p>

"Hinata," there was a slight awe in his voice, "What did you do?"

She kissed him back. His eyes were blue now. Beautiful, deep blue that she always remembered. She knew she could loose herself in them. Her hands were still resting on his bare skin, falling away as her energy faded. Hinata could barely move, and just slumped against the tree behind her.

His hands touched her cheeks, his mouth sweeping her back into a kiss that would have made her toes curl if she had the energy. Her heartbeat thundered in her head, and only skipped harder as he took a shaking breath and rest his forehead on hers.

"You're alright, thank god," she whispered, "I was so worried."

"You idiot!" he roared. Her pale skin was burned from the red chakra, and she had already taken a big hit from the battle before hand. He vaguely recalled it on the edge of his memory. "I could have killed you!"

"But, you didn't," his hands shook, but she just smiled softly back, "...time for return favor."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up at her.

"I'm could use a little rest."

"Hinata!"

She passed out in his arms.

For a minute, it alarmed him. His fingers pressed to the side of her neck, she was still alive. Thank the gods. Scooping her up into his arms, he jumped into the trees. If he went at full pace, he could get back to the village in less than two hours. She needed medical attention badly. She had risked everything to save him, and it was all he could do to protect her.

He had promised her father, after all, and had made a promise to himself.

* * *

><p>"The Kazekage was about to enter an alliance with the Kirigakure village," Tsunade explained, "One of the nobles in the village sent a daughter into an arranged marriage. They were hoping the ties would improve and open negotiations."<p>

"They were going to _marry him off_?" Shikamaru's mouth dropped open, "What is this, the dark ages?"

"Well, apparently, Gaara agreed to it," she sighed, "They were proceeding with the arrangements. Two days ago, he boarded a ship for Kirigakure that never reached it's port. When Suna contacted the village, there was no record of such a ship, or such a negotiation."

"Whoever they are, they have a vast amount of resources to pull such a trick," Sasuke replied, "Otherwise they would have been discovered before they could carry out a plan."

"What do they want with Gaara-san?" Sakura frowned.

"It's still unknown, but there's a potential reason. They wish to harness the power of the Shukaku," Tsunade told them.

"But, the Kazekage is no longer the carrier of the One-Tail demon," Shikamaru replied.

There was an awkward silence.

"So in lies the problem," he finished, "Not many know this, and if they find out-"

"They will kill Gaara outright." Tsunade finished, "They'll no longer have a use for them, and if whatever nefarious plans that have they need a demon carrier, they will turn their eyes on Naruto."

There was a deep frown on Sasuke's face as he stood behind Sakura's chair. He knew that she cared about Naruto, but was never quite sure in what way she cared. She always worried, and was always happy around the other nin. Naruto was like a brother, and Sakura had always been like an annoying sister. But part of him didn't really think of her like that.

Sakura was...Sakura.

"Suna has planned to send some shinobi in order to form a team to rescue Gaara. Shikamaru, I would like to place you as the leader of the team," Tsunade grinned, "Don't let me down."

He grinned, "Never, Hokage-sama."

"Sakura, I want you to work with Shikamaru. Do what you can, but we still need to keep this a secret. Although relations between all the Five Nations are good, there are smaller countries that would love to take advantage of the missing Kazekage. Choose your teams well."

"Of course," Sakura smiled.

"May I make a suggestion?" Shikamaru asked, "I would like to hired someone as a consultant," he said, an apathetic look on his face, "After all, you can never have enough allies, right?"

Everyone gave him a curious look. Tsunade blinked, "A consultant? With the choice of shinobi that you have?" she then frowned, "Who were you thinking off?"

"Well, Uchiha Sasuke doesn't have much to do except to fix the roof on Uchiha House. It's a great waste of skill, in my opinion, although the roof does look good."

Sasuke gaped at him. Shikamaru would trust him on a mission?

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at her star strategic advisor, and she mulled over the concept. Uchiha Sasuke shifted on his feet in a rare display of nervousness, and Sakura still looked surprised.

"If I approve this, there will be conditions," Tsunade said, "Sasuke still doesn't have shinobi status. As well as with Naruto, you will have main responsibility for him. If something goes wrong, you take the fall."

"Sure."

Sasuke glared at Nara, "Wait-"

"We will actually have to pay him in order to make it look legit. The council would have a field day if they knew I was doing this, but if we hire consultants, we sometimes can make them anonymous in order to protect them in case they would be put in danger. I can use this excuse with Sasuke, but we will still need to pay him in order to make it straight. Sasuke?"

The young man looked at her, obviously uneasy with everything happening.

"I'll allow you to be on the mission in consultant status _only_. For the time being, I'm relaxing the bar against you in being able to carry weapons. Don't disappointment me on this, Sasuke. If you prove yourself, maybe I'll campaign the council and allow the weapon ban to be lifted permanently."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Sasuke bowed low to her, "I'll do my best."

"Fine, then." Tsunade lifted the report for the mission and the orders, and began to hand them to Shikamaru, "Here is the information, make sure to-Naruto!"

The doors crashed open, and leaning against the doorway was Naruto. He carried an unconscious Hinata in his arms, covered in dirt and sweat from his run through the woods. He staggered into the room.

"I'm back."

They watched as he collapsed onto the floor of the Godaime's office.

* * *

><p>Naruto opened his eyes, and found a sense of relief that he saw the ceiling of the Konoha clinic, and not the sky.<p>

"You gave us quite the scare."

Sitting in the chair beside his bed was Tsunade. She was wearing clinic robes, and sat neatly in the chair. There was some paperwork that she had been working on, but she set it aside.

"Hinata-"

"She's alright. Took quite a beating, but she'll be fine."

He sighed, "Thank the gods."

"What the hell happened?"

Naruto looked at her, a worried expression on his face. In the last few years, he had come to think of Tsunade like some sort of grandma to him. She wasn't the same as Jiraiya, but she still looked after him. Once in a while she would invite him over for festival celebrations, and had the feeling that she thought of him more than just a fellow shinobi. He was family.

He contemplated on lying to her, and not telling her that he almost lost control of the Nine-Tails. Tsunade would be able to see through him, he knew. He would never get the story past her.

Taking a deep breath, he started the story, telling her everything. The strange guards, and the weird complex they saw in Uzu. That he had been injected with something that started eating away at the demon seals.

"Chakra acid," she said, "It's supposed to be forbidden to use, considering it causes great suffering. Like being-"

"Burned from the inside out? Yeah, I got that," he said, "Although, I'm sure with most people, it's just eats at you. It probably doesn't release some demon that will kill everyone afterward."

Tsunade looked troubled, "These people that attacked you?"

"I didn't recognize anything about them," he said, "They tossed Hinata around like she was nothing, even though I know that she's one of the strongest female shinobi in the village. From what I saw of their defenses, we'd have a hard time getting in them."

"Well, we don't have a choice now. They've taken the Kazekage hostage."

"Gaara?"

"We just received the message from Suna right before you arrived."

"Damn it," he cursed, "We have to get him out of there."

"Rest first. Shikamaru is taking care of the details. I'm assuming you'll be on the team," she stood, "Take care, Naruto. Something strange is afoot. I need to return back to headquarters. The meeting to determine the new Hokage is still going on, and I can't really be absent. Geez," she made a face, "I know I won't miss those damn meetings."

Naruto smiled, and watched her head to the door.

"Naruto?"

He nodded.

"Be careful," she said to him, "There's a lot of people here that would be really upset if something happened to you."

He smiled, "I'll try."

She closed the door behind her.

Naruto sat in the bed for a moment, and glanced at the empty cot beside him. Where was Hinata? He was worried since Tsunade didn't say more about her. Pulling the sheets back, he grabbed a robe and stuck his arms through it. His feet were still shaky when he pulled on the slippers and started for the door. He moved slowly, but at least was still moving.

Opening the door, he glanced up and down the hallway, but no one was there.

He turned around the corner, and spotted the room across from his. She was laying in bed, still asleep. Naruto shuffled into the room, and scooted a chair beside the bed.

She looked to fragile. Her hair had been washed and braided, and rest on her shoulder. She was wrapped in bandages, and the bruises on her face looked ugly. He felt like a heel when he saw that the burns from his chakra were still there. Lifting his hand, he threaded his fingers through hers, and squeezed her hand.

He still remembered kissing her. She was soft and tasted wonderful, like something sweet. He would give anything to kiss her again, but didn't want to take advantage of her like this. Along with his list of stupid decisions he made today and yesterday, he didn't want to add that one to the list.

"I'm sorry, Hinata."

He was exhausted. Resting his head on the bed, he finally let himself sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Too tired. Edit tomorrow...<em>

_Thank you for the reviews! :D_


	6. Chapter 6

_a/n: I do not own Naruto_

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><p>Gaara woke to a headache and the piercing cold.<p>

Last thing he remembered, he was on a ship bound for Kirigakure. They had waited until Suna was out of range be ambushing him. He had taken out a few of the guards before they had bound him in chains, and tossed him into the sea.

Water and sand didn't mix.

For the duration of the boat ride, he had spent attached to the outter hull of the ship. His weakness was not secret, nor was it hard to figure out, but usually he was able to take out his enemies before they used it against him. It had all be a ruse.

His hands were bound to the ceiling with shackles, Explosive papers were tied over his hands, so if he did try to free himself, the consquences would be rather unfortunate. There was a rumble beneath the walls, and Gaara shook his head. What was the rattling noise? It was almost like-

He couldn't stop himself from yelling outloud as pipes from the ceiling streamed the freezing water all over him. His feet were bare and suspended over the ground. Most likely because they knew that any contact would allow him a way to make sand. The water prevented him from layering the sand over his skin.

The water was so cold that he cursed and shivered. He was Gaara of the _Desert_. The cold water would go a lot longer in torture than any other means, since his body was acclimated to hot weather. God, it was so cold.

He gritted his teeth to keep them from chattering.

"I was starting to think that you would never wake up."

Gaara managed to raise his head and glare at the man on the other side of the bars. There was almost a friendly smile on his pale face, and he unlocked the cell door.

"Welcome to our base, Kazekage-sama. I hope the accomodations are to your liking."

"I-If you want me to b-be gracious, I'm afraid I'll have t-to disappoint you."

"Of course, understandable. You are the prisoner, after all," he said, "I am Takashi Kaguya, and I've already given you enough points for however long you dealt with my spoiled bitch of a sister."

Gaara frowned and said nothing.

"Now," Takashi walked to the table that sat in the corner, and opened a large black box. There were instruments inside, which he smiled at, "It looks like it's your lucky day, Gaara-sama. My scientists tell me that these are supposed to be much more effective in getting information from a person than the regular means."

"I will tell you nothing."

"You'll tell me the rotation schedule for the Konoha guards. As someone with allied status with Konohakagure, you would have know when you were able to enter the gates freely. I want to know the schedule, and I want to know the strengths and weaknesses of their forces."

Gaara was silent. He had commanded armies in his life, fought foes much stronger than the bastard in front of him. There was no way that he was going to betray the Godaime and her village. He had friends, and most often, family that resided there.

No, he would rather die first.

"Nothing?" Takashi looked quizzical, "Well, very purplexing indeed. Now, how does this thing work again? I know they told me, but I wasn't really paying attention. Ah, here we are."

There was a spark, and there was barely time to understand what it meant until he felt the electric shock flood his body.

Somehow, he managed to stay silent that time. The electric device had been touched to the wall, which had somehow directed the electric charge through the water pipes in the walls, and over him. Gaara's head fell forward, and his head swam. Damn it.

Damn it.

"Now," Takashi said, tapping the metal rod against his shoulder. There was another spark at the end. It must be some sort of shock device, "We'll try this again. Tell me, Kazekage-sama, what the rotation schedule and the weakness of the Konoha force around the village."

Gaara glared ahead, and said nothing.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry, Hinata.<em>

_I'm sorry, woman..._

There were two voices there that were ringing in her mind. One was clearly Naruto, the other was some sort of growl that sounded vaguely familiar. After thinking a moment, Hinata realized that it was the Nine-Tails. The fox was apologizing to her? She stirred for a moment, and then opened her eyes. There was a slight pressure on her hand, and she looked down to see a yellow head.

She lifted her fingers and shifted them through Naruto's hair. It was strange to hear the two voices now. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't really her or Naruto that the fox didn't like, it was the red-haired woman that had saved her. But, he felt sorry now, knowing that he had nearly hurt Hinata while she was trying to save him.

How could she even be thinking these things?

"Hinata?" Naruto looked up. There was a little concern in his blue eyes, "Hinata? Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

"It's okay."

He blinked in confusion.

"Tell Kurama," she smiled, "That it's okay. I'm not mad at him. He was just scared and in pain."

Naruto stared at her, the concern quickly doubled, "Hinata, what-"

Her fingers tightened around his hand on the bed, "Your mother was so pretty."

He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, and watched her. She was surprised when he smiled, and chuckled to himself, "I'm not really sure what's going on, but whatever it is, you saved my life. Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Maybe she would just leave it at that. The whole situation still seemed pretty astounding to her. she would need to process it for a while before understanding what happened.

She blushed, "I had too."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Oh, and there's something I owe you," he said, he grinned, "I can't let you get the upper hand, after all."

Hinata giggled, "Now, I have no idea what you're talking about, Naruto-kun. What on earth-"

He leaned forward and kissed her.

She froze for a moment, then her fingers gently brushed his cheek. He nipped her lips, a smirk on his face, "Now, we're even."

Hinata licked her lips, "I-I don't know. M-My kiss was longer," her cheeks were bright red now.

Naruto chuckled, "I might be able to fix-"

The door whisked open, but they didn't hear it at first. Naruto yelped as he felt someone grab his collar, and he was planted into the clinic floor. Squirming under the foot planted on his back, he growled, "Hey!"

"Neji-kun!" Hinata gasped. Oh, this was embarressing.

Her cousin stared at her with a look of horror on her face. Neji frowned a moment, and then glanced down at Naruto, "You know, in the old days, you would have been forced to get married. Being found half-naked with a woman means that you would spending the rest of your life with her."

"M-Married?" Naruto gaped up at Neji.

"You can't do that, Neji-kun!" Hinata said, "It's-"

"I may not be head of the family, Hinata, but your father has expressly told me to watch over you," he looked down at Naruto, "Do you promise to take care of her?"

Naruto glared back, "Of course."

"I guess I can allow you to see her then."

"Allow?" the blond stood up, "Look here! If I want to kiss Hinata-chan, then I'm going to kiss her! I don't need to ask anyone else's permission!" Then, as if realizing what he just said, there was a look of satisfaction in Neji's eyes when Naruto turned almost as red as his cousin, "Uh, I mean..."

That was how Sakura and Sasuke found them. Neji was trying to look serious, but there was a happiness in his eyes at the fact that Hinata finally got what she wanted. Naruto was a loyal, honorable man, and there was nothing wrong with him. If the elders in the village didn't like him, well, Neji didn't give a damn about that.

"Shut up, stupid!" Sakura smacked Naruto upside the head, "This is hospital. Hospital means quiet. What is going on in here, anyway?"

Neji chimed in, "I caught Naruto and Hinata making out."

Sakura's mouth dropped open, Sasuke chuckled, "It was bound to happen, I guess."

Hinata couldn't stop her giggle as Naruto turned beat red. It was nice to see him as the awkward one for a change, instead of her always stuttering and fainting. Oh, that had always been so humiliating. It was difficult to look intimidating and powerful when you fainted around the boy you liked.

"What's going on in here?" Shikamaru leaned in, "Well, everyone is here."

"Hm?" Naruto picked himself off the floor and sat on the corner of Hinata's bed, "What's up?"

There was a sudden silence in the room. Naruto frowned, and Hinata bit her lip. "What happened?" he asked everyone, "Did something happen?"

Shikamaru glanced at Sakura and Sasuke, and then took the initiative, "Gaara has been kidnapped."

* * *

><p>Naruto sat quietly as he listened to the story, and tried not to let his temper loose control. Despite the fact that he had a close tether over his power, sometimes it let loose when he was too emotional. What the hell did they want with Gaara? It seemed like they still thought he carried the Shukaku, which he didn't. Naruto may have survive the chakra acid, but there was no way to tell what would happen if Gaara was injected with it.<p>

He felt someone's hand touch his.

Hinata threaded her fingers through his hand in a show of support that he appreciated. Was she really his girlfriend now? Naruto didn't really know if he would call her that, but he knew that their relationship went a little deeper than friends and fellow nins. There was something there in her eyes that he didn't really understand, and there was something in his feelings that he didn't get either.

Having any sort of relationship with a girl would be difficult. Many people respected him now, welcomed him in the village, and acknowledged him as a strong shinobi. There were also many who still thought he was a monster that deserved to be tarred and quartered in the village square. Most of those people were elders and higher-ups in the village, the the Hyuuga elders.

The people that were the head of Hinata's family.

It was obvious that she seemed to not care, but Naruto cared about how they treated her. He would never want her to be turned away from her own family because she wanted to be with him. His conscience would never be happy with that.

"I want to organize some teams," Shikamaru said, "Kankuro is staying to fill in for the Kazekage, but Temari and Matsuri will be coming here. We'll be working with them in trying to free Gaara. Chances are that whoever these people are...they are up to something."

"That complex was too fortified, and too populated to just be some sort of meeting place," Hinata said, "There has to be an actual army."

"There's no way too tell how strong they are without getting in, and it's too guarded," Naruto explained, "We'd loose too many people."

"Exactly," Shikamaru told them, "Tsunade has put me in charge of the retrieval teams. She has also given me permission to hire Sasuke on as a consultant. It was the only way to get permission for him to help us"

Naruto grinned. Sakura was smiling too, looking at both Sasuke and Naruto. Even Sasuke seemed pretty stoked.

Team 7 was back.

"So, Shikamaru," Naruto said, leaning forward, "What's the plan?"

Even though Shikamaru was a Chunin, he was still the most sought after battle strategist in the village, next to his father. He had lead ANBU teams, Jounin teams, and even missions with S-Rank nins from other villages.

There friend smiled, taking a seat in the corner of the room, "Well, that's the real story."

* * *

><p>Sasuke walked Sakura home.<p>

Her apartment was still two miles from his house, but it was on the way. Technically, she really didn't need anyway walking her either, but he did it because it was the polite thing to do. A man walked a woman to her doorstep, that was the rule.

She stopped in front of the door, pulling out her keys, "I'll be by the house tomorrow," she said, "Any requests?"

"You're cooking is wonderful. I'll be happy with anything you bring."

There was a soft smile on her face, it was almost sad, "Well, good night then, Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura?"

She stopped on the porch, and looked at him. "Is something wrong?"

He stared at her a moment, his dark eyes missing nothing. It was strange to see him looking at her so strangely. Without speaking, he walked up the steps to her house. Sakura swallowed, walking backwards until her back rest against the door. Sasuke leaned over her, his eyes roaming over her in a way that would have thrilled her in the past.

Now, it pushed her to the edge of panic.

She couldn't let herself get attached to him anymore. He was a member of the team, and a friend, but she couldn't love him again. Sasuke had worked a lot of problems out, and now was leading a pretty good life, but she wouldn't trust him again. She was no longer the little girl that stood up and threatened to scream if he wouldn't take her with him.

How foolish she had been.

She had always gone to visit him in prison, because he was a friend. She always came to cook for him, because he was a friend.

_Only_ a friend.

He was leaning so closely now, that she could feel his breath ghosting over her face. He was too tall and too...big. He wasn't necessarily bigger than Naruto, but his personality was just big. She didn't realize she was pressing her back to hard into the wall, until he leaned over, and she felt his lips brush over her cheek.

She held her breath, her pulse thundered in her ears.

He didn't kiss her, per say. Lips trailed down her cheek to her ear, and then when he lifted his head, his cheek brushed over hers, and she found her face in the crook of his neck.

"Good night, Sakura," he murmured into her ear.

With that, he stepped away, and down the stairs.

Sakura stood there for a moment, staring into the dark.

Only a friend?

_Oh, god._

* * *

><p><em>an: I'm glad you all like the story! Just a heads up, that updates may slow down since this week and next week are my finals for grad classes. I'll try to do at least two chapters, but I'm a little heaped on with work so I'll try my best! I think it's starting to come together a little better now, and there's still plenty to go, so surprises ahead!_

_Thank you all for reading, and for the reviews! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto_

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><p>Naruto dressed that morning. After being held overnight, he was being released. He needed to get back to training, and there was also the idea of Shikamaru's plan to rescue Gaara. The Kazekage was missing, but Naruto knew that his friend probably had some sort of plan in the works.<p>

There was a knock on his door. He pulled his shirt on, and found Hinata standing in the hallway. She was being released too, and grinned happily at him, "How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?"

"Better than ever," he replied, "I always hate hospitals."

"You've spent a lot of time in here," Hinata had a worried look on her face.

"No biggie. We're ninjas, and that's what happens."

"Shikamaru is holding a meeting, and wants us to be there."

* * *

><p>Hinata felt a certain amount of pride that she got to sit next to Naruto for the meeting. She exchanged looks with Shino and Kiba, and knew they would always be her dearest, closest friends. They nodded back at her, and she knew that they would always stand by her and support her no matter what. Over the years, they had been through so much, and it they had grown from a team of two boys who were two alpha males in the making with one timid girl, so one of the strongest shinobi teams ever to come out of the Academy.<p>

Her entire class was known for that right.

Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru, who still went on missions together. Shikamaru was the head of the Acadmey now, but he was known for working with the ANBU and other special forces squads because of his talent with strategy. Even the Jounin in the village had worked with him long before he was promote to their ranks. He also acted as the ambassador between Konoha and Suna, since he had such close ties with the Suna siblings.

Ino and Choji were married.

_Married._

It was still strange to think about it. They were married and had three children, all of whom called Shikamaru 'uncle'. Ino trained medical nins for triage on battlefields, and Choji was assigned watch over security for the village, which kept him busy. He was no longer fat, and Ino was definitely not the airhead that everyone used to think.

Neji was ANBU now, was it was starting to look like he would become the eventual leader of the group entirely. He was intelligent, highly skilled, and ran a tight ship. Despite all of this, he was still friendly, kind, and always quick to lend a hand. Hinata appreciated this, since he had become a very close friend to her. They were cousins, and they trained together, and she owned him a lot. In the past, he had lent his ears to her when she needed someone to listen. Now, he gave her a soft smile, and his head motioned to Naruto beside her. His smile turned into a smirk.

She blushed, and knew that he never missed a thing.

Tenten was the weapons master in the village, and she trained all shinobi forces in how to use them. She also worked with the science branch and war office in the manufacturing and testing of new weapons. It was a difficult job, but she enjoyed it, and everyone respected her for being the one to test the new inventions. So far, there hadn't been any accidents, but Tenten was a professional weapons master. She always said that she was too good that that, and she really was.

Rock Lee was the only person in the group that lead a team of three genin. The moment he had been promote to Jounin, Tsunade had asked him point-blank to lead a team. He had agreed whole-heartedly, and no one was surprised that he was so good at it. He still continued to train, and go on the occasional mission with Tenten and Neji when Tsunade ordered them, but most of his days were spent on missions with his team and training for the Chunin Exams.

Hinata glanced over at Sakura and Sasuke, who were standing close to Naruto. Sasuke was the newest addition to the Konoha Eleven team. He was only wearing his dark gi robes instead of a uniform, since he was no longer a shinobi. Sakura seemed to be trying her best to ignore him, which was interesting in itself.

"Alright," Shikamaru stood in front of them, "I'll bet you're wondering why I've called you all here."

There was silence in the room.

They were in a classroom at the Academy. Since they were trying to find a room that no one would notice them in, headquarters was vetoed. Sasuke would attract too much attention, and everyone would want to know why they were all meeting. Shikamaru had concluded that the school was best, because students were out at the end of the day, as school was evil and no one wanted to stay after hours.

It was a sound conclusion, as the building was completely empty.

"Tsunade-sama has give us a special mission," he said, "We are to be the main front of the effort to retrieve the Kazekage. We have reports from Sunakagure that Gaara boarded the boat at Suna, and that it was bound for Kirigakure. Kiri has reported that they have no knowledge of such an exchange, and the ship was not listed on any known roster."

"How is it possible that a village with as powerful of an intelligence department screw that one up?" Kiba blurted out.

"Kiri believes that the group responsible is the Kaguya Clan," Shikamaru said, "An old clan that originated from Kiri, that was thought to be extinct."

"Kaguya," Lee frowned, "That sounds familiar."

"It should. You found one of its members," Shikamaru replied, "Kimimaro."

Lee instantly looked surprised. That was one fight he had never forgotten, or the fact that without sheer luck, Kimimaro would have probably killed him.

"Kimimaro was thought to be the last member, but it seems that some survived the masscre. They were killed off when they tried to attack the village, since their clan revolves mostly around war and strength. Despite their history, they are known for being rather cunning and difficult to beat. It was mostly because of their lack of numbers that their assult of Kiri failed," he continued, "Kiri believes that there are only a few members left, but that they may be descendents of people who married into prominent familes in their village. Prominent familes who possess a lot of resources, and a grudge against Kirigakure for its alliance with the Five Nations. Many of the old members still believe that they deserve to rule the nations, and they want to awaken the years of the Bloody Mist."

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"Since Tsuande-sama has announced that she will retire at the end of this year and appoint a new candidate for the position of Hokage, it's likely that if anyone would want to attack Konoha, this would an a good time. Tsunade-sama doesn't necessarily want the enemy forces to know that we are preparing to counter them, nor does she want to alarm the village about the problem."

Naruto snorted, "So, it falls on us."

"It falls on us," Shikamaru glared, "To protect the village. When our guests arraive tomorrow, I will be dividing you all into groups in order to give us the best advantage, and we need to be able to more closely observe the complex by Uzu without be detected. We will also need a team to stick to the perimeter of the village, and one that will be stationed in Konoha itself."

"Guests?" Sakura asked.

"Matsuri and Temari will be coming here to aid us. Kankuro is staying in Suna to fill in, and also to manage the retrieval opperations for their end. We will need a plan to get Gaara out," Shikamaru sighed, "It will be difficult. Tsunade-sama and I have agreed that it dangerous to take him into Konoha, for both sides."

There was chatter in the room as everyone seemed to disagree. Naruto frowned, "You think that someone will sneak into the village and kill him."

That killed the sound.

"They were able to sneak past the borders once, so we aren't taking any chances. We need a way to free Gaara, and to hide him temporarily while Suna sends reinforcements to pick him up. We'll send a team to the Uzu complex, and one person will get him out."

"One?" Naruto gapped, "Don't you think that's a little foolish?"

"One person will only know where he is," he said, "Matsuri-san will be going into the complex alone. I disagree with the plan, but..." he sighed, "I know you all disagree, but we can make this work if we follow the plan."

There was more silence as everyone exchanged looks. It was not surprising when Naruto was the first to answer.

"Hell, Shikamaru, we've followed all your plans before. We trust you."

Hinata smiled at the man beside her, and knew that what he had said was the truth.

* * *

><p>"Ah!" Naruto followed his arms behind his head, "It feels like old times being partnered up with everyone!"<p>

Hinata smiled, "It should be fun," then her smile slipped, "You know, Naruto-kun, that I probably will be sent with a different team. The Byakugan is better served with undercover long-range."

"I know," he said. They stopped in front of her house. They had both been released that morning, and he had volunteered to walk her home. Part of him did it to be polite, and the other because he simply wasn't able to leave her yet, "If that happens, promise me you'll be careful."

She nodded, "I promise if you will."

The gate to Hyuuga House was like some sort of looming figure over him. It made him nervous, "Well, good-night, Hinata. Thank you again, for everything that you did for me. Without you, I don't really want to know what would have happened."

Hinata stared at him for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."

"What for?"

She looked at the ground, "Shikamaru mentioned the Hokage candidates, the ones picked out by the council."

Naruto shrugged, "They are pretty qualified. Strong shinobi will good convictions and ties to the village."

"I'm sorry that you weren't on the list," she said, "It made me so angry. You should have been on it," she gritted her teeth, "You've worked so hard and you deserve it! Those stupid village elders just look at you and see-"

"A stupid monster."

She fell silent. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes.

"I know what they think, Hinata," he said, a smile on his face. It was a sad one. "I was expecting it. They see the Nine-Tails when they see me, and they see that I'm getting closer to Kurama every day. I've even-" he chuckled, "Found myself talking to him occasionally. They probably all think I'm crazy."

"I think it's ridiculous, we all do," Hinata told him, "Everyone in the village respects you. You've-"

"Drop it, Hinata."

She sighed. He was stubborn when it came to something he wanted.

"Alright, then," she said, "But no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side, Naruto-kun."

He stared at her for a moment, and in that moment, started to loose his nervousness from standing in front of her house.

Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around her.

Hinata gasped, and then buried her face into his shoulder, her arms around his back. At some point, he had grown up. He was tall, and smelled like the forest and the wind. She smiled at the thought, and at the fact that he turned his face in her long hair.

"I could get used to think, you know," he said, "Seeing you every day."

She smiled. She was already used to it. Even if she saw him of every second of every day, that wouldn't be enough.

"Someday, Hinata," he said, "We should talk about that time. The time that you fought Pain."

She felt her cheeks burn, "N-Naruto-"

He kissed her lips quickly, then pecked her forehead, "Good night, Hinata."

Naruto released her, and set off back down the street. She stood in the road until he disappeared, and wished that she understand what he had meant. Did he want to know if she meant what she said back then? If he asked, what would she say?

She would never have the heart to lie.

* * *

><p>Takashi took a walk.<p>

Damn the Kazekage. He had passed out again and still hadn't said a word. The stupid man was stubborn, which was a problem. Takashi didn't necessarily want to kill him, only get him to talk and then take advantage of his abilities. Neither of these things he could do if the Kazekage croaked on him.

He had a veil of blood in his hand. His main researcher was probably aching for it now, considering the experiments were close to complete. There were only a few additions that needed to be made.

Satoshi was a cunning, smart bastard. One of the main reasons Takashi had took him on as an alley was that Satoshi would have made a troublesome enemy to have. Making his way into the lab, he passed by the glass window that offered a view of the surgical room. Tayuya had been an test subject at first, but unlike the many others before him, was the first success. They still didn't know how Tayuya ended up handling the surgeries, but it was a big step.

The blood in his hand would be the finishing touch.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Takashi grinned at the man in the white coat. Taking the veil like it was a precious gem, Satoshi grinned, tipping it under the light to see the sand inside.

"Excellent," he said, "I still wonder how the scientists were able to combine these elements. Sand and blood aren't meant to mix, but that man violates every rule in nature."

"When do you think the experiment will be complete?"

Satoshi thought a moment, "Four days. It will take that long to complete the surgery, and then to see if Tayuya will survive. If he does," he then grinned, "He will be our strongest asset. I'll be able to synthesize a drug from his blood and distribute it among the soldiers. They will all have his abilities then."

Konoha was still in debate over the Chakra acid. That was small potatoes considering what the real goal was, and if Satoshi could manage to replicate the powers from the demon animals, they would have a real boon on their hands. The sand abilities of Gaara of the Desert marked that their list of requirements was almost over. There were only a few more samples that they needed.

The Byakugan and the Sharingan.

A sample of each would finish the list. Then every soldier in the army would possess the abilities of all Konoha's top families. He would have the most powerful army in the world. Everyone thought that the war with Madara had been difficult? They only had to contend with the individuals with their respective abilities. Now, they would be facing a person with the abilities of everyone .

Not to mention his entire army would soon have those abilities as well.

Takashi smiled to himself as Satoshi took the veil and disappeared into the surgical room. Tayuya lay in the bed, medical paper covering his eyes, his chest, wrapping around him like a mummy. It was meant to keep him unconscious, unknowing about what they were doing, which was something that Tayuya had requested himself.

Satoshi attached the veil to the IV line, and injected the blood.

Takashi smiled against to himself, and went in search of tea.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in Ichiraku, staring at the bowl of ramen in front of him.<p>

For once in his life, he didn't feel like eating it.

"You've been staring at it for ten minutes now."

Iruka sat beside him, taking a sip of tea, and ordered dinner for himself.

Naruto said nothing.

"It's foolish, you know," Iruka continued, "You should have been on that list. After everything you've done, and you're parents-"

"I don't want to be Hokage because of my parents."

"I know that," his old teacher scoffed, "You're stronger than Minato was."

Naruto sighed. So what if he could replicate every single of his father's moves now? So what if he was probably the strongest nin in the village? Even if he went around calling himself Naruto Namikaze, that still wouldn't make the council respect him.

"Tsuande-sama is livid, you know. She's been rooting for you all along."

His relationship with Tsuande was always tenuous. He thought of her like his grandma, or like some sort of eccentric aunt. She was really the only living person left that could probably be considered true family, even if they didn't get along well. When he was younger, he had blamed her for Jiraiya's death, which hadn't really been fair. He was over his anger at her now, but he would never be over Jiraiya dying like he did.

Iruka was like an older brother, if Naruto had ever had one.

Leaning forward, he scooped up a huge bite of ramen, and decided that his pity party was over.

"There's not much we can do, besides, the village is more important than anything I want," Naruto glanced at him, "This new threat is more important than my aspirations to be Hokage."

"But-"

Naruto grinned, "Besides, I was just a dumb kid back then. I was always saying stuff."

Iruka gaped at him.

"Wish my luck, sensei," Naruto paid for his tab, and for Iruka, "I have a mission soon. Can I ask for a favor?"

"Anything."

"If something happens to me," he paused for a moment, "Look over Hinata, kay?"

His mouth dropped open.

"Make sure she meets some guy worthy of her, take her out to eat sometimes, because otherwise she's alone most of the day. I don't like it that she's so stifled in Hyuuga House," Naruto sighed, then he smiled, "She likes Ichiraku almost as much as I do, and she doesn't get to come here often."

Iruka frowned, and looked at his tea, "I promise."

"Thanks," Naruto slapped him on the back, "Catch you later, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka stared at his tea, and couldn't bring himself to say anything.

It was the first time that Naruto had ever paid their tab.


End file.
